Little Red Riding Hood
by it's cracktastic
Summary: A different version of the original. Red is a bit older and a werewolf replaces the wolf. Enjoy.
1. Seff Sullivan

**AN: Please do not flame. Critique is fine, comments are fine, compliments are fine, but don't flame.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Little Red Riding Hood or the Big Bad Wolf.**

**--**

A slight breeze blew into the Conroys' cottage as the heavy door was swung open. Amorette Conroy stood in the entrance and clutched a small, plain basket as she stared out at the dirt road in front of her home. She sighed heavily, not at all enthusiastic about the trip her mother had assigned to her. Visiting Grandma was nice, but she wasn't fond of the forest. She'd been afraid of it's looming trees and blanketing shadows ever since she'd heard her first ghost story about it, and Amorette would be walking right along side those woods for the majority of her journey.

Closing the door and stepping down onto the road, Amorette began walking westward, trying hard not to look at the trees. She knew she had the tendency to imagine things, and staring into the forest would surely make her think that somehow, someone was watching her. Even though it was midday and the bright sun washed over her with its joyous light, Amorette couldn't help feeling butterflies when she heard footsteps behind her. Assuring herself that it was only the echo of her own shoes, she refused to turn around and make sure.

But then the footsteps started getting louder. Frantic, Amorette put her hand in her basket, rummaged around between the cakes, blanket, and wine bottle, and located the knife she had hidden there. She stopped moving for a second and when the footsteps continued, spun around to face what she was certain was a hideous, hungry vampire (never mind the fact that they could only come out at night).

"Hello, Little Red!" Mrs. Emerson greeted, "Where are you off to? I was out picking berries when I saw you walking and realized how far I must've strayed! You know, my daughter should be the one doing this work, the lazy girl! Anyway, where did you say you were going, again?"

Amorette nearly choked with relief. She let out a breath of air she hadn't realized she'd been holding when she saw the cheerful woman and took her hand away from her basket, leaving the knife.

"Good afternoon, Mrs. Emerson. I'm on my way to my grandmother's. She's fallen ill, you see."

"Oh, the poor dear. I see your bringing her some good food. Well, that should get her well again right quick, shouldn't it? Oh! Would you look at that sun! It's later than I thought. It's been nice talking with you, Little Red Riding Hood, but I simply must be going now. Goodbye!"

Red smiled, "Goodbye, ma'am!" and watched the talkative lady turn around and walk away, her basket of blackberries swinging on her arm. Turning west again, Little Red pondered over the short conversation she'd just had.

_It's been nice talking with you, Little Red Riding Hood, but I simply must be going now. Goodbye!_

Little Red Riding Hood. That was Amorette's nickname, ever since her seventh birthday when her mother had given her the carmine cloak she still wore. It had been huge on her, and now it was far too small, only barely reaching her knees.

Once upon a time, Red had liked the name 'Little Red Riding Hood'. It was cute and cute was a good thing. Now, she wanted nothing more than for people to stop referring to her as 'cute' and 'adorable'. She had hips now! She had breasts! A nice, small waist, even! Thick, wavy brown hair and sparkling blue eyes! Blue eyes that she had tried many times to use seductively, but for some reason always failed. She understood when older men called her 'cute', but she was seventeen, and boys only a few years older still seemed to look at her as their younger sister. She simply didn't understand it.

Often, Little Red would blame it all on the fact that she'd known all the men in her life since the day of her birth. This was true, partially, but the biggest reason that she was still seen as a little girl was the way she acted. Despite her curves, Red remained pouty and childish. Though her temper-tantrums no longer consisted of pounding her fists on the floor and kicking at everything that she could, she was just as demanding, and bossy as she had been at age seven, and almost just as naïve. Her vocabulary, however, had grown considerably.

"Oh damn it all! Damn it all to hell! Why can't I be seen as a woman? People still call me 'girl' and 'young lady', but I'm seventeen years old! Other women my age are getting married, and I haven't even started courting yet!" Red cried, aiming her complaints to the heavens and stamping one of her feet.

"I wear high heels and a guy even caught me in my nightdress once and he didn't seem fazed at all!" she directed her words towards her hands now, which played with the hem of her cloak.

"Is that so? If I saw you in your nightdress I'd be howling like a wolf. Do you wear those short gowns to bed? I hear they're popular with young women nowadays," a young man's voice said, and his smirk could practically be heard in the soft, amused tone he had use. Amorette jumped and turned quickly, surprised that someone had been listening and also somewhat frightened. He had sounded dangerously close, and his comment had been alarmingly forward.

Amorette was about to say something incredulous, using her most incredulous expression, and maybe even clutching her cloak tightly around herself to emphasize a feeling of violation, but then she saw the owner of the voice.

He couldn't be older than twenty, and he was just as irritatingly attractive as his voice had been. With dark brown hair, warm, brown eyes, and clear, fair skin, Amorette couldn't help but feel drawn to him. He was by far the prettiest young man she'd ever seen. Not necessarily manly, but very pretty.

Snapping out of her thoughts, Amorette finally responded. "How dare you be so forward! Why don't you show some respect to a lady?" and she turned up her nose haughtily.

"I'm so sorry. Sometimes my thoughts come out my mouth before I can wonder if they're rude," he attempted to look sincere but failed as his lips curled into a smile.

"That's the stupidest excuse I've ever heard," Amorette stated, not nearly as amused as this man seemed to be. His grin only widened at her comment.

"What's your name?" he asked.

Amorette looked at him suspiciously, but finally decided she could at least let him know her nickname. "Everyone calls me Little Red Riding Hood."

"I guess I understand where that comes from," he eyed her cloak, "but for the life of me don't know how they came up with 'little'," and his iris's quickly flicked away from the red cape to look at Amorette's ankles, which her skirt did not cover.

"Ah! Don't stare, you disgusting beast!" she cried, wishing she had worn boots instead of her nice shoes. She'd only recently gotten them and had ignored her mother's orders to only wear them for special occasions, being too excited to show off the red high heels to hide them away. They matched her cloak and looked nice with her black stockings, so she simply couldn't choose her ugly black boots over the pretty shoes. She hadn't thought for one moment that she would run into a man, and now she was deeply regretting her poor judgment.

"Well you have them out to be looked at, do you really thinking I'm going to pass up the chance to see a girl's ankles?" he wasn't even looking at them anymore, but Amorette felt she should still be scolding him.

"It's not my fault I outgrew this skirt! I can't control my height! Now, if you'd excuse me, I **must** be going!" and she stomped off angrily, oblivious to the fact that her vigorous gait only kicked her skirt up higher, showing most of her calves to the man as she walked away.

"Now wait a minute! I want to know your real name!" and he ran after her, grabbing her shoulder as he caught up.

Amorette jerked away from his grasp and huffed, "Fine. But you have to tell me your name first."

He smiled, "That's fair enough. My name's Seff. Seff Sullivan."

Amorette glowered at him, "I'm Amorette Conroy."

"Beautiful name," Seff smirked, "How do you do?" he extended his hand. Amorette stared at it warily but eventually took it. She expected him to shake her hand as any man would, but instead he lifted it gently to his lips, placing a soft kiss just behind her knuckles.

Amorette was pleasantly surprised, but refused to let him know it. She kept her nose in the air proudly and drew her arm back to her side. Her light blush gave her away, however, and he smiled playfully as he realized his action had had exactly the effect he'd been hoping for.

"I'm well, thank you," she paused, unsure of what to say next, and so finally decided there was nothing more to say. "Goodbye," she finished, and turned to leave again. This time, Seff did not go after her.

"Goodbye, Little Red!" he called out, and suppressed a snicker when she looked back at him nervously but did not stop walking. After she had gotten out of hearing distance, he slipped into the cover of the forest.


	2. The Woods

**AN: Please do not flame. Critique is fine, comments are fine, compliments are fine, but don't flame.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Little Red Riding Hood or the Big Bad Wolf.**

**--**

Little Red Riding Hood strolled down the dirt road happily. She'd only been walking twenty minutes now, so she still had a ways to go until she reached Grandmother's, but the brisk, fall air kept her cool. She was mulling over her previous encounter with a one Seff Sullivan, and was rather proud with how she'd handled herself. Despite his obvious arrogance, she hadn't blabbered like a fool or sworn at him. It made her feel quite grown-up.

However, then she would remember his smirk, and his confident, smooth voice and suddenly she felt like a silly, young girl. Though this should have made her angry with herself for being made so easily nervous, it made her feel slightly giddy instead, and she found herself giggling as she thought about what could've happened if she'd said the right things.

_"Short nightgown? Well, of course I don't wear a short nightgown, Seff. I don't wear anything to bed except my necklace."_

_"How lovely. When do you propose you show me just how you look in your pajamas?"_

_"Tonight. Meet me in my mansion when the sun sets. I'll be waiting for you at the balcony."_

_"Mansion? How did that happen?"_

_"My parents died and left me a fortune."_

_"So you're rich?"_

_"Filthy."_

_"Filthy, you say? Then surely you won't mind getting a little dirty with me tonight."_

It was at the precise moment that Red was thinking this that she noticed the prettiest wild flower she had ever seen, growing just at the side of the road. She rushed over to the blossom and picked it, placing it gently in her basket. Little Red was about to go back to the path when she noticed a second flower, even prettier than the last. She hurried into the forest to take it and then saw yet another flower. This continued until finally Red was satisfied with her bouquet, but when she turned around, she realized she had strayed farther into the forest than she'd thought.

Unable to see the dirt road, Little Red Riding Hood forced herself to stay calm. She knew which way she had come from, she would be back on the path in a heartbeat. Walking confidently in the direction she sincerely hoped was the right one, Little Red quickly got herself utterly, hopelessly lost.

--

"Oh my God…" Red whispered. Her panic had grown when it had gotten dark not long before, but now that she had caught a glimpse through the trees of a full, silvery, ominous moon, it tripled. Red's mind worked against her wickedly as images of werewolves filled her head.

_The full moon! How did I not know it was tonight?! I'll be eaten alive! I don't have a chance in hell! Christ, I might as well kill myself now!_

Despite her thoughts, Little Red did not attempt to kill herself. In fact, she didn't even attempt to move. She'd been walking around aimlessly before, hoping that somehow she would make it back to the road, but now she just stood there, staring up into the sky.

And just to mock her, a big, fat raindrop landed right between her eyes. Another one followed, hitting her on the forehead, and eventually the soft pitter-patter of rain surrounded her.

A tear rolled down her cheek as she turned her face towards the ground. Little Red Riding Hood honestly believed at that moment that she wouldn't live to see the morning. She would have dwelled on this thought longer had a low howling not filled the air and scared her witless. She was running before the wolf had finished its call, and her speed continued to increase until she was sprinting, barely able to see in the dark, rainy woods, dodging trees by inches.

Red tore her way through bushes and bramble patches, her stockings and skirt ripping in thorns. Low branches grabbed at her cloak, but she would wrench away from it and continue running, too terrified to look behind her, convinced that if she did, some sort of monster would be right there, its gaping mouth ready to swallow her whole.

Suddenly, she slipped. Landing in the mud, screaming and crying, she curled up and waited to be attacked. When it didn't come, Red looked around for a moment. The rain had slowed down, and she couldn't hear anything except grasshoppers singing. Calmed, Little Red decided she was going to sleep, and she crawled beneath a pine tree, grateful for the dry ground. It was not long before her eyelids fluttered shut.

--

Seff stopped jogging. He had detected Amorette's scent earlier and just knew she had gotten lost. After following her trail for a long time, he had finally caught up to her, and howled purposefully to the moon. He had known it would scare her, but he hadn't done it to be mean. Seff had hoped that Amorette would start off in the opposite direction she would hear the howling from, since that would've been the right way to the road. Instead, Seff had had to jump out of the way as Amorette came sprinting towards him. Apparently she was too afraid to realize she was going toward the source of her fear.

Sighing exasperatedly, Seff had started off after Amorette once again. Now, he found her huddled beneath an evergreen, sleeping peacefully. Her cloak and skirt were stained with mud, and there were a few smudges of dirt on her face and some rips in her clothes, but other than that, she seemed pretty alright.

_She'll freeze out here, _A voice in Seff's head mentioned, _And there are monsters out that might find her. Ones without your control. You have to take her somewhere safe._ Knowing that his thoughts were true, Seff carefully pulled Amorette out from beneath the pine and carried her bridal style. He knew exactly where to take her.


	3. Curious Hands

**AN: Please do not flame. Critique is fine, comments are fine, compliments are fine, but don't flame.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Little Red Riding Hood or the Big Bad Wolf.**

**--**

Amorette's eyes fluttered open when she heard a voice calling her.

"Hey, wake up, I need your cooperation for this."

The voice was familiar, but it wasn't until her eyes finally focused on the figure that she remembered who it was.

"Seff?" she yawned, stretching her arms out happily. It suddenly occurred to her that she was being carried and all but jumped out of his arms. Landing in the mud for the second time that day, her predicament came rushing back to her.

"Wait, what are you doing out here?" Amorette asked accusingly. _Has he been following me?_

"Well, that is… um…" he rubbed the back of his neck thoughtfully and didn't look her in the eye. "Look, I can explain everything later, but I need to get you somewhere safe."

Seff walked up to her and offered his hand. She took it gratefully and was pulled off the ground. His nails dug into her skin, although she didn't remember them being all that long or sharp. He didn't let go of her either, and when she tried to pull away his grip only tightened.

"You're going to want to run," he whispered, "Don't."

"Seff, what are you–" Amorette gasped, forgetting to finish her sentence, when she saw his ears. Upon being pulled closer to him she could make them out easily in the dark, even though they were flat against his head. When he realized Amorette had noticed them, Seff swiveled them back up. They were wolf's ears, dark gray and pointy. Then she saw his tail. It flicked about behind him and matched the color of his ears, though the fur looked rougher.

"You're a werewolf!" she remarked, shocked.

"Yes, I am. But I won't hurt you, I swear," he promised.

"But… but… you're a werewolf! I can't trust what you say! Was that conversation earlier your way of playing with your food?!" she yelled, not wanting an answer, "I can't believe this! You're… you're… UGH! You're such a man!"

"Um, what?" he almost smirked. Her reaction to this was very different from what he had expected.

"I said you're such a MAN," Amorette attempted to wrench out of his grip yet again, but he held on to her easily.

"Yes, I am male. But what does that have to do with any of this?"

"Well, if you were a woman, I would not be here right now! A _woman_ would be kind and gentle! She would've let me be and eaten someone that the rest of the world could do without! Someone like you," she growled, glaring at him.

Seff was now biting his bottom lip to keep from smiling. He stopped for a moment to respond, "Well, I'm not going to eat you, I'm going to protect you, OK?" he assured, and then proceeded to bend down and swing Amorette over his shoulder.

"AH!" she shrieked, surprised, "Put me down!" and pounded her fists on his back angrily.

Seff had one arm wrapped around her thighs, and her long skirt quickly began to slide up her legs, "I'm afraid that's not going to happen, Red. You'll run off, and there are creatures in these woods. Ones that are nowhere near as nice as me," he smirked to himself.

"But you're going to kill me! What makes you any nicer than them?"

"I'm not going to kill you! And even if I was, the others would likely torture you before eating you. There are some sick types out here…"

Amorette remained silent. She didn't want to provoke him into telling her any hideously gruesome stories.

"No yelling? No scolding? Is there something wrong, Little Red?" Seff laughed, surprised by her silence.

Amorette frowned from her place on his shoulder, "Maybe I should yell at you. I know, how about I scold you about how high up your arm is on my legs, hm? I really doubt that's necessary, MR. SULLIVAN."

"You like it," he replied.

"I DO NOT!"

Seff snickered.

--

"This is a cave," Amorette stated bluntly. Seff looked around the small cavern approvingly.

"Nice, isn't it? I like the size. I don't have to worry about anything lurking deeper inside and it doesn't get too much colder than the forest. Plus, it warms up quick with a fire," he let her down on her feet so that he blocked the entrance.

Amorette flashed her eyes over the rocky, mountain-inlet quickly. It really was quite tiny.

"I changed my mind. This isn't a cave. This is where a boulder used to be but then it fell down. It's the smallest 'cave' I've ever seen! Do you always live here? What about when it isn't the full moon?"

Seff watched her stretch her arms out to touch both sides of the cave, "I prefer the forest rather than town. Despite being human for most of the month, my wolfishness still affects me a bit. Are you hungry?"

"A little. What do you eat when you're a werewolf? Do you eat at all? Does blood make you go crazy with hunger?"

"That's vampires, not werewolves. I eat fruit I can find growing in the woods, and I stop into town a lot for other things," he did not mention that he stole these items.

"Hm. How do you survive in the winters?"

"Lots of furs. And I keep a fire going. I only leave the cave for food in the winter," he would steal the furs as well, but leave them on people's doorsteps when spring came along. "Since your hungry, why don't you eat these?" Seff offered her the basket he'd found next to her and brought with them.

Amorette looked at him a moment before finally declining the offer, "No, those are for Grandmother. I'll be seeing her as soon as the sun comes up, and I don't want to get there empty-handed. They are for her, after-all."

Seff nodded understandingly and found that he had nothing left to say. An awkward silence quickly grew between them, a thick tension weighing down the air.

At last, Amorette broke the silence. "Seff… when you became a werewolf, when you were bitten… did it leave a scar?"

His smile returned, lips quirking up, amused, "Yes, it did. Why?"

"Well, I was hoping you might show it to me."

The werewolf's eyebrows shot up, "Are you sure?"

"Yes, I'm sure! What kind of a question is that?"

"Alright, alright," and he began to unbutton his shirt. Discarding the clothing, he looked up to find her ogling him.

Smirking as Amorette leered he said, "Is there something interesting about my torso, Red?"

"Well, yeah! Look at you! Look at all the scars! Is that all from the werewolf that changed you?" she asked, and continue to stare. Most were small flaws, but there were several long, noticeable scars. One stretched across his shoulder and another down his side, from his ribcage all the way to the edge of his pants.

"Oh. Mostly, yeah. Now do you want to see the bite mark?"

Amorette nodded, and watched him turn around. The scar was there, on his shoulder blade, and looked like he had been bitten quite deep, but it was not the first thing she noticed.

There were four, long slash marks going down at a diagonal across his back. It had healed badly, and the tissue looked as if it had bubbled up on the length of the scars.

Amorette walked closer, "May I?" Without thinking, Seff agreed, and immediately regretted it. She rested the tips of her fingers gently at the beginning of the scar, and immediately pulled her hand back when he jumped and his tail bristled.

"Sorry," he grumbled, and stuffed his hands in his pockets. Amorette placed her fingers on his back again and began to trace the slashes, following the motion it must've taken to leave the scar. Finally, she took a step back.

"I'm going to, um, go wash," Seff said, and grabbed his shirt and left the cave in a hurry. Amorette scolded herself inwardly – obviously she made him uncomfortable. But she didn't regret it, her fingers still felt strange and she felt as if she wanted to bite them to try and take the sensation away and replace it with good, old, familiar pain, but she didn't.

--

Seff stepped into the river unwillingly. The cold water made him hiss and he jumped in to get it over with quickly. He came up gasping for air, his lungs almost failing on him as he experienced the icy touch of the river all over his body.

He grabbed a handful of sand from the edge of the river and scrubbed himself, rushed, in order to get rid of the dirt and sweat. He finally got around to his back and was reminded what Amorette's touch had been like on the scars. Seff shivered, and he knew it wasn't only because of the cold

"Damn it, it's just my luck that a pretty girl with soft fingers would come along at a time like this," he whispered to himself, and slowed down his washing noticeably, dreading going back to the cave.


	4. Grandmother's House

**AN: Please do not flame. Critique is fine, comments are fine, compliments are fine, but don't flame.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Little Red Riding Hood or the Big Bad Wolf.**

**--**

"Wake up, sunshine," a voice said, and Red blinked her eyes open. Seff stood over her, one eyebrow quirked. "May I ask how you managed to sleep on the stone floor?"

Amorette pulled herself to her feet gingerly, and glared at him, noticing how he had gone back to his human appearance.

"That wasn't sleep. That was dozing. Painful, dissatisfying _dozing_," she growled.

"I can see you're not a morning person. But I brought you breakfast," he said cheerily, and held out a small burlap sack for her. She took it and looked inside to find it filled with nuts and berries.

"That's not a breakfast," she cried, "I don't even know how much of it is actually edible."

Seff rolled his eyes, but was smiling anyway, "If you don't want it, I'll take it. I skipped breakfast so you wouldn't have to."

"No, you can't have it," she hissed, and started to eat, rather mournfully, one berry at a time.

"Eat on the way. I'm taking you back to the road," he said, and she grabbed up her basket and followed him out of the cave, into the trees.

They walked for a while, the air quiet except for the occasional bird chirping and twig snapping. And, of course, Amorette munching away. Finally, the silence was broken.

"I want to thank you for helping me," Little Red started, "Especially since you're a werewolf, and all. It must have taken great effort not to eat me. And even more effort, I would assume, not to eat what I brought for Grandma. It being real food, and all."

Seff looked back at her, "It's hardly a bother to get stuck with a pretty girl in a cave in the middle of the night," he smirked, "A girl who asks me to take off my shirt so she can stare at me."

"You're one of those people who likes to ruin moments, aren't you?" she replied, irritation evident in her tone.

"I wouldn't say that," and he turned around to face her. Suddenly very close to one another, Amorette cleared her throat awkwardly and took a deliberate step back. Seff just watched her, waiting for her to make a move first.

"Well, I would. You seem just the type to… to," he had leaned in even closer to her, his eyes having softened, and fixated on hers.

"The road's just over a little ways farther," he whispered, "So I guess this is goodbye."

"I guess it is. Goodbye, Seff Sullivan," she brought herself slowly up on her tip-toes as she said this, and closed her eyes. She could feel the tension between them for a split second before his lips met hers, and something inside her melted.

The kiss was soft and sweet, and he slunk his arms around her waist as it got more intimate. She responded by clinging to the sleeves on his upper arms, the basket having slid down to her elbow. When he finally pulled away, Red blushed and looked away shyly.

"Well, first base isn't bad," he sighed, before being pushed over by Amorette as she told him what a jerk he was, and how he lied to her about ruining moments.

--

Little Red had waved goodbye to Seff quite a while ago. She had watched him disappear back into the woods, and shuffled her feet on the dirt path for her first few steps, reluctant to leave. However, she'd found the right stride for her and knew that at this point, she must be close to Grandma's.

In fact, it was only minutes later that the house came into view, and she hurried up considerably, happy to see real shelter. Knocking on the door cheerfully, she suddenly wondered what she'd tell her when she asked about her clothes. What with the tears and dirt in them, she was sure to be scolded.

"Who is it?" a feeble voice called through the door.

"It's me, Grandma, it's Little Red. I came with some food the minute I found out you were ill," she hollered back, leaving out her original unwillingness to complete the chore.

"Well, come in, dear, there's quite a chill today. I don't want you to catch cold, now."

Red smiled, thinking of last night and the freezing weather, before opening the door and walking into the warm, cozy cabin.

"… Whatever happened to your clothes, child?"


	5. The Huntsman

**AN: Please do not flame. Critique is fine, comments are fine, compliments are fine, but don't flame.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Little Red Riding Hood or the Big Bad Wolf.**

**--**

"Oh, well, Grandma, I got just a bit sidetracked and… uh, took an awful fall down a ravine! Yes, it's a miracle I wasn't injured," Amorette closed the door behind her quietly and then hurried over to her grandmother's bed. The cottage was only one room, with a bed and a small wardrobe, a wood-burning stove, a cabinet, a tiny kitchen table with a chair and a stool, and finally an armchair that looked as if it'd been in a bar fight with a tough sofa.

"Good heavens! You're sure you're alright? I'd imagine it had something to do with those shoes you're wearing… high heels are not for traveling, dear."

"Ah, yes, it was very foolish of me."

"Very, very foolish. You could have died!"

"That's a bit of a stretch, Grandma."

"Perhaps. Now, what's in that basket, hm?" the old woman adjusted her spectacles and dipped her hand in to find the knife. She stared at it and then turned her eyes to her granddaughter, looking quite unimpressed.

"Oho, that was in case I found myself in danger," Little Red offered a sheepish smile, "You're always telling me how I've got to be careful. How everyone always thinks it's fine to wander the streets because 'nothing ever happens in this quiet town!', but that's what they're saying in all the other towns too, right? Right?"

But her grandmother's frown only deepened, "But you're keeping it with the cakes. You can ruin perfectly good food like that, you know."

"Ah, of course."

"Now, how about you tell me what it is your lying about. I haven't seen you this nervous since I caught you scratching your name into my fine china," she plucked up a cake and the bottle of wine.

Amorette's face fell. She didn't want to have to explain what had happened. It was one of those stories she should be saving for a girl friend, not her blind old bat of a grandmother! But Amorette didn't have to worry about that. She was just giving a resigned sigh and about to begin the tale when an insistent knock rapped against the door. Before Amorette could get up to answer it, a tall, burly, bearded man she did not recognize practically kicked his way in with a loud, "Ya decent, Granny?" one hand covering his eyes.

"Oh my. You'd better grab a couple glasses, Red, honey, we're going to go through that wine fast today," Grandma murmured, sounding thoroughly displeased.

--

Seff walked jauntily down the road, sporting a look of such self-satisfaction, even a stranger would find it irritating. He couldn't help himself, though. It wasn't every day he got kissed (a rather sad fact), seeing as he spent most of his time alone, in a reputedly treacherous forest, searching for decent wild strawberries… but enough about that, because it wasn't every day he got kissed twice. And today he was going to be! He had planned it out perfectly. He'd show up at Amorette's grandmother's house, flash a dazzling smile, and have the girl kissing him again in no time. What's more, he knew exactly where Amorette's grandmother's house was, because he had dropped off stolen supplies there repeatedly in the past. He wondered to himself vaguely why he hadn't just walked Red there, but then he remembered it was because his original plan had been to forget about her and go back to his normal life. Obviously he had not been thinking straight. He got no action in his normal life, and one eyebrow flew up as he considered what kind of action Little Red Riding Hood could provide him with.

Then suddenly the cabin was in sight. And so was a man. A hefty man who was at least a head taller than he was and could probably kill him with one flick of his wrist. But Seff knew this man.

"Oh… fuck," and with that lovely exclamation, he made a mad dash for the cottage.

--

"Well, who have we here?" the bearded man asked, his voice echoing against the wooden walls, and staring at Red with an odd smile.

"This is Amorette, my granddaughter."

Little Red tried to smile back at the man, offering him her hand. He took it gruffly, shaking, and holding on a little too long. "I'm Henry, a huntsman. Lately I've been shootin' wolves a lot. Their pelts have been in high demand since spring," he ran a hand through his beard, "Plus, I'm sure everyone feels better knowing there's one less wolf out there."

"Yes, wolf pelts are, uh, quite pretty," Red replied, not liking the way he was looking at her at all.

Grandma noticed. "Henry, I think another time would be better for a visit. This is one of the few days I get to see my granddaughter, after all."

"Actually, Granny, I think I might just have to steal her away for a while. If she thinks wolf furs are pretty, I've got a few dozen in the shed down a ways. C'mon, Amorette. I might even sell you one, half price!"

Warning bells screamed in her head. This was not the man to be walking off alone with. She would've laughed at the irony of how she'd been brave enough to chastise a werewolf, but too fearful of a human man to forget her manners if only her stomach wasn't lurching so painfully. "No, I think not. Grandma is sick, you see, I couldn't leave her."

"Oh, you're not here all the time when she's ill, are you? She'll be fine. Let's go," he grabbed her wrist, pulling her towards the door. Amorette jerked back instinctively.

"Really, I shouldn't. Maybe next week."

Grandma was getting anxious. Henry had never been a pleasant fellow, but she'd never seen him like this._ Of course, I've never seen him around a young woman, either._

"I won't be here next week. And bring that basket. We can eat while we're there," and he took her wrist again, making sure she couldn't pull away, and handing the creel to her. He threw the door open and was about to step through when an unexpected sight stopped him.

"Hello, Henry. And Amorette. Nice seeing you again. I had no idea _this_ was the grandmother's house you were talking about, Red. What a coincidence!" Seff's cheerful smile belied his nervousness.

Henry was not amused. "Yes, hi. Now excuse me, I'm showing a lovely lady my fur collection." Next to him, Amorette gave Seff a surprised look, but quickly changed it to send fearful, pleading signals to him. He caught them but showed no recognition.

"That sounds great. I think I'd like to see them too, actually."

"No," was his answer, and the hunstman gave Seff a hard glare.

The werewolf frowned. "Ah. Ok, then," and he watched Amorette blanch as she was dragged away. He then hurried into the cottage—he had to be fast. "Hey… Little Red's grandma, you keep any rifles in this old house?"

--

Little Red Riding Hood was terrified. She kept looking behind her to see the cabin getting smaller and smaller, and with each step she took she could feel her hopes of getting away weaken. And Seff! He just let him take her away! Did he not know the danger she was in? No, he had to know. She'd seen that look on his face. But then he didn't care enough to put himself at risk? She wanted to say she couldn't believe that either, but she'd only just met him the other day, and he was a werewolf after all. Tears pricked her eyes. She shouldn't have trusted him. That coward.

Amorette was on her own. What could she do? She couldn't fight him. She would never win. Henry would probably hit her, tell her she was only making this worse for herself, that it would only take longer. And she knew exactly what he'd do. It happened all the time. She would be one of many who had had a man forced on them.

But even if she couldn't win a fight against him, she couldn't just give up and let this happen either. She'd never forgive herself. She needed a plan.

_Run._

Yes. She could outrun him. He was bigger, which would save him in a battle, but he was bigger, which would be his undoing in a race.

_But town is miles away._

She's in good shape, though. She works on the farm all day most of the time. She has muscle, and endurance. And surely she has motivation.

_How to get away?_

She was reminded of the larger hand encasing her wrist.

_The knife._

Her grip tightened on the wicker handle. She slung it around her elbow and began digging in the napkins and biscuits as quietly as possible. He looked back at her. No attempts at conversation now. He knew she knew what was going on. But he didn't think anything of her picking through the rolls and turned to look ahead again. A small shed peeked out from behind the trees.

Finally, she found the cool metal, and flicked open the blade, deciding where exactly to stab him. In the arm? In the back? The neck? Would he chase her? If he does, she ought to stab him somewhere that would be more of a hindrance. But she flinched at the idea of stabbing him in the neck, and her gaze dropped to between his shoulder blades. He was tall though. Perhaps lower. The small of his back? Would that be a hindrance?

Would he even let go of her arm if she stabbed him there?

Maybe it'd be a better idea to knife him in the wrist. Then he would surely let her go. He'd be able to chase her, but she could be certain that he'd let her go.

That was enough for her. With one swift movement, she flung the dagger into his forearm and he cried out in pain. Her stomach clenched at how nauseatingly easy it was to slice through the skin, but he had released her, and her legs responded to the frightened instincts of prey, carrying her away as fast as they could. She was too afraid to look back at him, but she couldn't hear anything except the underbrush crunching beneath her feet, so she assumed he hadn't followed. Still, she sprinted like she'd never run again.

--

A cutting axe was not what he had been hoping for, but Seff would have to work with it. He was sure that a hunter would have a gun somewhere, too, so he'd be taking him by surprise for best results.

_If he could fucking find him._

Seff hadn't thought he was all that far behind, even though the old lady hadn't been much help shrieking at him to save her granddaughter already, but he hadn't caught a glimpse of Amorette's scarlet cloak or Henry's lumbering figure since he'd headed after them. And apparently he hadn't known the way to that damned shed as well as he thought he had.

Then, he heard movement. Frantic movement. Seff had no idea which way it was coming from or which way it was going, but it was close. And then it slammed into him. The axe flew out of his hands, thudding down into the leaves a few feet away, and he fell to the ground after it.

He groaned as his back collided with the forest floor, but looked up to see Red on top of him, tear stains down her cheeks. He could practically feel the color draining from his face.

"What did he do to you?" Intense anger created a consuming sensation where his heart ought to have been, shrieking through his veins. She didn't answer. She just crumpled into him, soft sobs breaking out from her throat. Seff found himself torn between three urges—the first to comfort her, the second to grab the axe and hunt the bastard down, and the third to beat himself into a pulp for being too late.

"I'll murder him," he hissed, deciding that the third option wasn't at all productive and if he went for the first he'd eventually find himself at the third again, "I'll _murder him_."

"No," she managed.

"Yes, I will, and I'll-"

"He didn't do it. I g-got away," she choked out, moving off him to sit on the ground. He pushed himself up.

Silence.

Then he put his face in his hands, elbows resting on his knees, and Amorette just barely heard him whisper, "_Thank God_."

--

"Bitch!" he saw red, hissing, "She won't get away from me." His hand gushed blood even as he grabbed the shotgun off the wall of his shed. It had been necessary to give her a head start so he could get his weapon, but he was a professional hunter. He could make up for any head start.


End file.
